Boyz N The Hood: Hirschi's Social Bond Theory
Erika Zarate
March 1, 2014
Sociology 002J
Kevin McCaffree
Sociology term paper Have you ever watched the news and seen that the most shocking crimes committed are by young juveniles and in rare cases small children? Do you wonder why they did it? Many of us do not realize the type of background and the type of lifestyle they lived in before the crime was committed. A lot has to do with how these young juveniles are being raised and the type of environment they are surrounded by. Juvenile delinquents are teens and children, since they are so young the way they learn is by visualizing what surrounds them. But most importantly, are these juveniles receiving the support from their loved ones? The film, Boyz N the Hood explores the elements of belief, involvement, attachment, and commitment through Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory. Nineties film, Boyz N the Hood, is about a portrayal of social problems …show more content…
in inner-city Los Angeles that takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together in the 'hood'. Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, representing very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports. Meanwhile 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have his father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character. To do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions.
The film portrays a variety of theories on why these three young juveniles behave the way they do. The theory that stands out the most to me and portrayed the most in the film is the “social bond theory” created by the sociologist Travis Hirschi. Hirschi explains that his version of the social control theory is the “social bond theory” and it contains four very important elements: attachment, belief, commitment, and involvement. By attachment he means the affection and love you receive from your parents or a deep personal connection. By belief, he means trusting your parents’ advice and opinions. With commitment he means if you’re willing to push yourself in order to succeed. Lastly, involvement, he believes that if you’re willing to participate and focus on other things instead of delinquent acts, you can become successful. He states that “the stronger the bond the child has with society, the less likely the child will commit the crime due to the fact that the child has something to lose that they care about” (Delinquency P. 206-7). The definition of bond in this case is a person’s connection to society. Hirschi believes, “the best predictor of delinquent behavior is a child’s attachment to parents, schools, and peers” (Delinquency P. 206-7). There have been studies indicating that children who are strongly close to their parents have a less chance of becoming a delinquent. These types of children avoid any delinquency because any type of bad behavior can affect their parent’s affection. The closer juveniles are with their peers the less likely they will become delinquents, because these types of children will know what kind of friends they should have and be surrounded with and not risk losing their “bond”.
The element of belief is abundant throughout Boyz N The Hood, as Tre fits into this part of Hirschi’s theory. One specific scene is in the beginning, when Tre got in trouble at school for having bad behavior in class. His teacher called home and told his mother about his rude behavior, but Tre’s mother got offended at the same time because she believed that Tre’s mother was not educated and believed that his behavior can be caused by the way Tre’s mother disciplines him. However, Tre’s mother is very educated and does discipline him. Tre’s mother decided to have Tre live with his father Furious Styles so he can help him become a “proper man”. Tre’s mother believed his father had it in his capabilities the power to change Tre. Furious also believed in his own son, so throughout film, Furious disciplines Tre so much and makes sure that Tre takes in the information his father is teaching him, especially in the scene when Tre decided to take out his gun and do something about Ricky’s death. In this scene, Furious told Tre that if he wanted to shoot someone, he should shoot him, but he resisted. Furious in this scene told Tre that it’s not going to solve the problem of his friend Ricky’s death, nor is it their problem so they shouldn’t get involved. Tre realizes his father is right so he handed him the gun.
These aforementioned scenes can relate to the Hirschi’s “social bond theory” because Tre at a very young age has always been disciplined by his parents, especially his father. Tre was not involved in any type of gangs or did drugs because he knew that his father would say something about his bad actions. Belief and involvement are mixed here, because Tre has the belief that his dad will involve himself in his life if he acts negatively. Furious tries to push Tre away from delinquency and he does this by telling him what actually happens in the real world. He tells him that, “if you do drugs, commit crimes, you will not be successful nor be considered a proper man”. People have responsibilities and must follow them in order to live in this world. Tre values his father’s opinion because he knows his father is right and jeopardizing their relationship can affect him greatly.
Hirschi thereby argues that juveniles who carry high IQ’s earn better grades. Getting good grades makes juveniles feel school is a place that can be enjoyable, making them become more involved in school and less likely of becoming delinquents. Children who are more heavily invested in conventional activities are indeed less likely to be delinquents. Another factor of the “social bond theory” proposes that ambition or motivation to achieve keeps juveniles on the right path, because they know getting in trouble will hurt their chances of becoming successful. Criminologist Elaine Doherty found, “that people with strong bonds to society are most likely to stop committing crimes regardless of some of their individual characteristics, such as their level of self control. Even though a juvenile’s social bond is controlled by their parents, it’s keeping them away from any type of delinquent behavior”(Delinquency P. 206-7). Hirschi’s theory is one of the most talked about theories as well tested theories. Overall, his theory is pretty self explanatory and can relate a lot to the film Boyz N the Hood.
Ricky and Tre have a very good friendship because they both encouraged one another to strive for the better. They both had the motivation to succeed in life because both of their parents disciplined them and pushed them into becoming the best. Even as they had the encouragement and motivation, they both ended with different outcomes. Ricky was deeply involved with football in high school. That was his main focus; this explains why Ricky can be applied to Hirschi’s element of attachment and involvement. Hirschi explains in his theory,“ juveniles having a social bond, they will not jeopardize what they love the most with any type of delinquent or bad behavior” (Delinquency P. 206-7). In this case Ricky has an attachment to football as well to his mother; he wouldn’t let his low income community ruin his opportunity of becoming a famous and successful football player. Ricky received the love and support of his mother but he also has a son that he needs to worry about, so that encouraged him even more towards becoming a successful person.This is where Hirschi’s element of commitment can be reflected upon Ricky because he has that motivation for success even though in the ending he passes away and we know that he could have become someone important in life. A person that can relate to Hirschi's “social bond theory” is Ricky.
Ricky in the film is shown to represent as the 'All-American' athlete. Ricky at a very young was taught by his mother that he will become a football player. So you often see Ricky in the film playing football or even carrying a football. There is a scene in the film where Ricky is getting prepared because he is going to get interviewed to receive a football scholarship for the University of USC. After his interview, he is pressured to at least to receive a score of seven hundred on his SAT’s. The day he takes the SAT’s he feels very nervous, anxious and when taking the test he would lose focus and doze off, but Tre would look at him at times so he would concentrate and take the SAT’s seriously. In the end, Ricky was an innocent juvenile pursuing the dream of being a football player, but in the ending the community he considered his home him killed him. As you see Ricky’s mother opening his SAT’s scores, you see that he indeed met the requirement of receiving a score of at least seven
hundred. Another person that can relate to Hirschi’s theory is ‘Doughboy’ also known as Derill. Doughboy is the brother of Ricky, the ‘All American’ football player. Doughboy, from a very young age, has always gotten into trouble. In the ending of a scene where Tre, Ricky, Doughboy and some of their friends decide to hang-out, Doughboy wants to go to the liquor store even though he does not have money. Later on you can see Doughboy and one of his friends taken behind the seat of the police car and it is pretty self explanatory that Doughboy and his friend got caught stealing. Later in the film there is a big celebration for the comeback of Doughboy, therefore, his mother told Tre to give Doughboy some advice so he wouldn’t go back to prison. Doughboy has always had a bad relationship. Towards the ending of the film when Doughboy brought into his house the dead body of his brother, his mother began crying and started to blame Doughboy for the death of Ricky. Doughboy can be considered as an example of Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory even though he’s never gotten some form of attachment from his mother like his brother Ricky. He’s part of this theory because this signifies what could happen if you lack the elements of the Social Bond Theory. Dough boy has always been in and out of prison. Even at a young age, his influences came from other criminals. Doughboy has not felt that social “bond” because he feels like he has nothing important to lose. Ricky and Doughboy have two different fathers and maybe that’s the reason why the mother favors one child over the other. But in reality, Doughboy has a hard time maintaining a good relationship with his mother because he knows he has a different future outcome compared to his brother. The mother sees that Doughboy has no “commitment” because he is always in and out of prison, always drinking, and she knows that he will not be able to maintain a road of success as opposed to Ricky who will be attending college and possibly playing professional football for the NFL. This means she has someone to be proud of and show her affection to, since Doughboy does not meet the standards like his brother and he would probably never feel that special attachment with his mother. Hirschi’s social bond theory emphasizes the fact that there is an absence of social attachments among juvenile delinquents. Since family, friends, and other members of our social networks affect our lives in many ways, we in turn are direct descendants of their actions. One of the most critical times in our lives is our adolescence. During this critical time, we need strong positive social ties to represent society in the best way possible. On the other hand, if the ties we share in our lives are negative and criminal-like habits, it most likely that negative results will occur. The basic difference between the General Theory of Crime and Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory is the focus on peers and peer groups of individuals. The four basic elements of social bond theory are attachment, commitment, involvement in conventional versus deviant or criminal activities, and lastly the common value system within an individual’s society or subgroup. The film Boyz n the Hood illustrates the elements of belief, involvement, attachment, and commitment, through the social bond theory. Ricky and Doughboy are brothers, though it may seem odd that they both live in the same house and are raised by the same parent, but they both have completely different outcomes. However, it’s determined by the child if they have something worth losing and they both had different perspectives on the matter. Tre is a juvenile whose social bond was controlled by his father in order to help him have a better future. The social bond theory is not the only theory that can be portrayed in this film and there are many more that can explain the behavior of the boys. So next time when you’re watching the news, think of the hardships these young juvenile delinquents faced before they committed a crime. It can explain why they behave the way they do.
- Robert M. Regoli, John D. Hewitt, Matt DeLisi, . "Hirschi's Theory." Trans. Array. 8th . Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC: LLC, 2009. 206-207. Print.
- (Robert M. Regoli, John D. Hewitt, Matt DeLisi 206-207)
March 1, 2014
Sociology 002J
Kevin McCaffree
Sociology term paper Have you ever watched the news and seen that the most shocking crimes committed are by young juveniles and in rare cases small children? Do you wonder why they did it? Many of us do not realize the type of background and the type of lifestyle they lived in before the crime was committed. A lot has to do with how these young juveniles are being raised and the type of environment they are surrounded by. Juvenile delinquents are teens and children, since they are so young the way they learn is by visualizing what surrounds them. But most importantly, are these juveniles receiving the support from their loved ones? The film, Boyz N the Hood explores the elements of belief, involvement, attachment, and commitment through Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory. Nineties film, Boyz N the Hood, is about a portrayal of social problems …show more content…
in inner-city Los Angeles that takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together in the 'hood'. Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, representing very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports. Meanwhile 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have his father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character. To do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions.
The film portrays a variety of theories on why these three young juveniles behave the way they do. The theory that stands out the most to me and portrayed the most in the film is the “social bond theory” created by the sociologist Travis Hirschi. Hirschi explains that his version of the social control theory is the “social bond theory” and it contains four very important elements: attachment, belief, commitment, and involvement. By attachment he means the affection and love you receive from your parents or a deep personal connection. By belief, he means trusting your parents’ advice and opinions. With commitment he means if you’re willing to push yourself in order to succeed. Lastly, involvement, he believes that if you’re willing to participate and focus on other things instead of delinquent acts, you can become successful. He states that “the stronger the bond the child has with society, the less likely the child will commit the crime due to the fact that the child has something to lose that they care about” (Delinquency P. 206-7). The definition of bond in this case is a person’s connection to society. Hirschi believes, “the best predictor of delinquent behavior is a child’s attachment to parents, schools, and peers” (Delinquency P. 206-7). There have been studies indicating that children who are strongly close to their parents have a less chance of becoming a delinquent. These types of children avoid any delinquency because any type of bad behavior can affect their parent’s affection. The closer juveniles are with their peers the less likely they will become delinquents, because these types of children will know what kind of friends they should have and be surrounded with and not risk losing their “bond”.
The element of belief is abundant throughout Boyz N The Hood, as Tre fits into this part of Hirschi’s theory. One specific scene is in the beginning, when Tre got in trouble at school for having bad behavior in class. His teacher called home and told his mother about his rude behavior, but Tre’s mother got offended at the same time because she believed that Tre’s mother was not educated and believed that his behavior can be caused by the way Tre’s mother disciplines him. However, Tre’s mother is very educated and does discipline him. Tre’s mother decided to have Tre live with his father Furious Styles so he can help him become a “proper man”. Tre’s mother believed his father had it in his capabilities the power to change Tre. Furious also believed in his own son, so throughout film, Furious disciplines Tre so much and makes sure that Tre takes in the information his father is teaching him, especially in the scene when Tre decided to take out his gun and do something about Ricky’s death. In this scene, Furious told Tre that if he wanted to shoot someone, he should shoot him, but he resisted. Furious in this scene told Tre that it’s not going to solve the problem of his friend Ricky’s death, nor is it their problem so they shouldn’t get involved. Tre realizes his father is right so he handed him the gun.
These aforementioned scenes can relate to the Hirschi’s “social bond theory” because Tre at a very young age has always been disciplined by his parents, especially his father. Tre was not involved in any type of gangs or did drugs because he knew that his father would say something about his bad actions. Belief and involvement are mixed here, because Tre has the belief that his dad will involve himself in his life if he acts negatively. Furious tries to push Tre away from delinquency and he does this by telling him what actually happens in the real world. He tells him that, “if you do drugs, commit crimes, you will not be successful nor be considered a proper man”. People have responsibilities and must follow them in order to live in this world. Tre values his father’s opinion because he knows his father is right and jeopardizing their relationship can affect him greatly.
Hirschi thereby argues that juveniles who carry high IQ’s earn better grades. Getting good grades makes juveniles feel school is a place that can be enjoyable, making them become more involved in school and less likely of becoming delinquents. Children who are more heavily invested in conventional activities are indeed less likely to be delinquents. Another factor of the “social bond theory” proposes that ambition or motivation to achieve keeps juveniles on the right path, because they know getting in trouble will hurt their chances of becoming successful. Criminologist Elaine Doherty found, “that people with strong bonds to society are most likely to stop committing crimes regardless of some of their individual characteristics, such as their level of self control. Even though a juvenile’s social bond is controlled by their parents, it’s keeping them away from any type of delinquent behavior”(Delinquency P. 206-7). Hirschi’s theory is one of the most talked about theories as well tested theories. Overall, his theory is pretty self explanatory and can relate a lot to the film Boyz N the Hood.
Ricky and Tre have a very good friendship because they both encouraged one another to strive for the better. They both had the motivation to succeed in life because both of their parents disciplined them and pushed them into becoming the best. Even as they had the encouragement and motivation, they both ended with different outcomes. Ricky was deeply involved with football in high school. That was his main focus; this explains why Ricky can be applied to Hirschi’s element of attachment and involvement. Hirschi explains in his theory,“ juveniles having a social bond, they will not jeopardize what they love the most with any type of delinquent or bad behavior” (Delinquency P. 206-7). In this case Ricky has an attachment to football as well to his mother; he wouldn’t let his low income community ruin his opportunity of becoming a famous and successful football player. Ricky received the love and support of his mother but he also has a son that he needs to worry about, so that encouraged him even more towards becoming a successful person.This is where Hirschi’s element of commitment can be reflected upon Ricky because he has that motivation for success even though in the ending he passes away and we know that he could have become someone important in life. A person that can relate to Hirschi's “social bond theory” is Ricky.
Ricky in the film is shown to represent as the 'All-American' athlete. Ricky at a very young was taught by his mother that he will become a football player. So you often see Ricky in the film playing football or even carrying a football. There is a scene in the film where Ricky is getting prepared because he is going to get interviewed to receive a football scholarship for the University of USC. After his interview, he is pressured to at least to receive a score of seven hundred on his SAT’s. The day he takes the SAT’s he feels very nervous, anxious and when taking the test he would lose focus and doze off, but Tre would look at him at times so he would concentrate and take the SAT’s seriously. In the end, Ricky was an innocent juvenile pursuing the dream of being a football player, but in the ending the community he considered his home him killed him. As you see Ricky’s mother opening his SAT’s scores, you see that he indeed met the requirement of receiving a score of at least seven
hundred. Another person that can relate to Hirschi’s theory is ‘Doughboy’ also known as Derill. Doughboy is the brother of Ricky, the ‘All American’ football player. Doughboy, from a very young age, has always gotten into trouble. In the ending of a scene where Tre, Ricky, Doughboy and some of their friends decide to hang-out, Doughboy wants to go to the liquor store even though he does not have money. Later on you can see Doughboy and one of his friends taken behind the seat of the police car and it is pretty self explanatory that Doughboy and his friend got caught stealing. Later in the film there is a big celebration for the comeback of Doughboy, therefore, his mother told Tre to give Doughboy some advice so he wouldn’t go back to prison. Doughboy has always had a bad relationship. Towards the ending of the film when Doughboy brought into his house the dead body of his brother, his mother began crying and started to blame Doughboy for the death of Ricky. Doughboy can be considered as an example of Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory even though he’s never gotten some form of attachment from his mother like his brother Ricky. He’s part of this theory because this signifies what could happen if you lack the elements of the Social Bond Theory. Dough boy has always been in and out of prison. Even at a young age, his influences came from other criminals. Doughboy has not felt that social “bond” because he feels like he has nothing important to lose. Ricky and Doughboy have two different fathers and maybe that’s the reason why the mother favors one child over the other. But in reality, Doughboy has a hard time maintaining a good relationship with his mother because he knows he has a different future outcome compared to his brother. The mother sees that Doughboy has no “commitment” because he is always in and out of prison, always drinking, and she knows that he will not be able to maintain a road of success as opposed to Ricky who will be attending college and possibly playing professional football for the NFL. This means she has someone to be proud of and show her affection to, since Doughboy does not meet the standards like his brother and he would probably never feel that special attachment with his mother. Hirschi’s social bond theory emphasizes the fact that there is an absence of social attachments among juvenile delinquents. Since family, friends, and other members of our social networks affect our lives in many ways, we in turn are direct descendants of their actions. One of the most critical times in our lives is our adolescence. During this critical time, we need strong positive social ties to represent society in the best way possible. On the other hand, if the ties we share in our lives are negative and criminal-like habits, it most likely that negative results will occur. The basic difference between the General Theory of Crime and Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory is the focus on peers and peer groups of individuals. The four basic elements of social bond theory are attachment, commitment, involvement in conventional versus deviant or criminal activities, and lastly the common value system within an individual’s society or subgroup. The film Boyz n the Hood illustrates the elements of belief, involvement, attachment, and commitment, through the social bond theory. Ricky and Doughboy are brothers, though it may seem odd that they both live in the same house and are raised by the same parent, but they both have completely different outcomes. However, it’s determined by the child if they have something worth losing and they both had different perspectives on the matter. Tre is a juvenile whose social bond was controlled by his father in order to help him have a better future. The social bond theory is not the only theory that can be portrayed in this film and there are many more that can explain the behavior of the boys. So next time when you’re watching the news, think of the hardships these young juvenile delinquents faced before they committed a crime. It can explain why they behave the way they do.
- Robert M. Regoli, John D. Hewitt, Matt DeLisi, . "Hirschi's Theory." Trans. Array. 8th . Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC: LLC, 2009. 206-207. Print.
- (Robert M. Regoli, John D. Hewitt, Matt DeLisi 206-207)